Blue Record is Baroness' defining album. Gone should be all the comparisons between Baroness and any other Georgia based metal bands, whether it be Kylesa or Mastodon. Blue Record is a top tier metal opus that shows great technicality, vocal harmonies, and even instrumental interludes. The combo of Steel that Sleeps the Eye and Swollen and Halo are quite possibly the best two pieces of music my ears have experienced this year. Easily a best of 09 contender!

an enjoyable listen throughout (definitely not for fans of the "shuffle" option, there's a lot of thematics and variations being taken from licks/riffs here and there). great riffs, awesome harmonies, and most importantly... it SOUNDS awesome. the fuzzed out solos, the bass presence, their ability to be a little more minimalist, and the vocal layering are just some of the features this record has that the red album doesn't. at the same time, i think they forgot how epic some of those heavy parts were on the red album, thus making it about an equal listen. thank god they didn't release the same thing twice.

This sounds like the album Mastodon would have made had they stuck to the blueprint laid down by Call of the Mastodon all the way through to Crack the Skye. But seen as though they didn't, I won't accuse them of mimicing their sound. This album is both startingly beautiful and crushingly heavy and rarely have these two contrasts sounded so wierdly fit for each other. Deserving of any praise lavished upon it though I'm going to give it a few more spins before I get all excited with the rating.

Interesting that all the comments are comparing it to Crack The Skye. Isnt this a good enough album to stand out of Crack The Skye's shadow?
Or is it because Crack the Skye probably will be more commercially successful?

Brilliant album, has some very unexpected parts that leave your mouth open while still somehow keeping your head banging. Drastic improvement on the Red Album in my opinion and this album is the one that's going to be the real opposition for Crack the Skye...

A much more varied take on Baroness's eclectic brand of progressive sludge. While their debut generally stuck to the dynamic builds for the most part, with the occasional delving into acoustics and things like that, Blue sees them take a much more progressive route, with fantastic results. It seems a little bit more accessible, but the emotion behind the vocals and melodies is certainly here, in fact it seems to strike the heavy-prog balance Mastodon always go for, but with a groovier, more reserved overall sound. Check it out if you want some progressive sludgy metal, it's better than I ever would've expected from Baroness.

Love this album so much. It is much less sludgy and much more psychedelic in a good way. While there isn't really a single track as engaging as "Isak" or "Wanderlust", only engaging moments, the album as a whole is a beautiful piece of art. So much improvement from all the musicians.

This is, hands down, my favorite driving record. Roll down the windows, turn up the volume, and cruise down the freeway while those riffs hum in your gut and Blickle's fills rattle your rear-view mirror. Simply a blast to listen to. If you haven't already be sure to grab the version with the Descendents cover for a sweet little bonus.

Though still an interesting band in the metal vain, progressive sludge metallers (sorry) seem to have lost a bit of step from their debut Red Album to this sophomore follow-up. That isn?t to say there are more than enough moments to keep a fan interested, but more that this one lacks that certain punch its predecessor held so strongly. Perhaps the departure of former lead guitarist Brian Blickle did more than a little bit to throw the band?s chemistry off balance, something that definitely came out in some of these tracks. There just seems to be an overall lack of focus in comparison to their first record, though I suppose the listener should try to treat both releases very different. I?d still recommend starting with the Red Album or even digging back a little farther and checking out the band?s early EPs.

doesn't sound like Crack the Skye doesn't sound like Crack the Skye doesn't sound like Crack the Skye doesn't sound like Crack the Skye doesn't sound like Crack the Skye doesn't sound like Crack the Skye doesn't sound like Crack the Skye doesn't sound like Crack the Skye doesn't sound like Crack the Skye doesn't sound like Crack the Skye doesn't sound like Crack the Skye

Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye Crack the skye